- What You Should Know Before Buying All-Terrain Tires
Chances are if you own any type of 4×4, you’ve likely driven on, purchased, or have at least looked into buying all-terrain tires. The reason being, there is no other type of tire that is as universally accepted both on and off the road as an all-terrain. It’s the daily-driver and the workhorse for farmers, hunters, fisherman, outdoorsman, off-roaders and outdoors enthusiasts alike. Fact is, you’ll more than likely find all-terrain tires on Jeeps, 1/2-ton pickups, 1-ton trucks, full-size SUVs, Overlanders, pre-runners and almost every other off-road worthy vehicle imaginable. Even some CUV owners are getting into the mix with what’s now called “soft-roading” in these compact but versatile vehicles. Some Original Equipment 4×4 off-road packages even come from the factory with all-terrain tires already on them. So, if you’ve decided to step into the all-terrain tire market, there are some things you need to consider. First, not all all-terrain tires are equal. Many small differences can make one all-terrain tire a better choice for your application over another. Knowing these differences and what to look for in a tread design, sidewall features, and overall construction, will help ensure that you and your vehicle are rolling on the best all-terrain tires for you.
- Why Choose an All-Terrain?
Chances are that you probably spend most of your time driving your 4×4 vehicle from home to work and from work to home. This means that you not only need something that’s off-road capable, but also a tire that delivers a good ride quality. This is where all-terrain tires shine.
Not only do all-terrain tires do well in sand, snow, ice, dirt, grass, gravel, loose surfaces, rocks, and so on. They also maintain a nice drive quality, with reduced road noise. They’re not as quiet as a basic highway tire, but they will be quieter than more aggressive mud-terrain tire options. For even lower noise levels, always look for the least aggressive all-terrain tread pattern. This will give up some off-road performance, but it will surely quiet your ride.
- What Type of Terrain Do All-Terrain Tires Work Best On?
All-terrain tires are considered the jack of all trades for the 4×4 tire market. They can go pretty much everywhere and perform in a variety of conditions; however, there are some areas where they truly shine. Dirt or gravel roads, sand, snow, and even ice are where all-terrain tires typically perform best. This is accomplished by reinforced tread designs that have the advantage of many gripping edges and full depth sipes. These sipes, are the numerous tiny cuts in the tread lugs that open up and provide additional grip at various angles. These sipes are also essential for traction on snowy and icy surfaces. In fact, some of the best all-terrain tires are severe snow rated and can actually navigate roads that are usually closed for chains or snow tires only. The 3-Peak mountain snowflake on the tire’s sidewall is what give the tire its snow rating.
- Do I Need All-Terrain Tires with The Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Rating?
These days, it’s common that every all-terrain tire comes with the standard mud and snow (M+S) rating. In most cases, this rating is acceptable for the majority of applications. However, for those that regularly depend on their 4×4 to perform in the snow and ice, the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating, also known as 3PMSF, takes the mud and snow rating to the next level. Tires with the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating meet the required performance criteria in snow testing to be considered severe snow service-rated tires. These tires typically feature more sipes and softer tread compounds, which improve traction on snow and ice. Only a handful of all-terrain tires feature the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating and we’ll share which tires those are at the end of this article.
- Is A Treadwear Warranty Good with All-Terrains?
Lots of all-terrain tires come with treadwear warranties. These warranties usually cover all or part of the tire cost should you not reach the expected mileage under normal conditions. And although this sounds like a win-win, treadwear warranties can be a catch 22. Of course, you want your tires to last a long time because they are not cheap, but you may be sacrificing off-road performance for tire longevity.
All-terrain tires with greater treadwear warranties typically feature a harder rubber compound in the tread area. This harder tread compound helps make the tires last longer, but it also decreases the traction the tread can provide when used off-road. Harder rubber compounds are also more prone to chunking when combined with aggressive driving on gravel or rocky trails. Softer tread compounds will offer more traction in most all conditions, especially on gravel roads as the rubber tends to deflect the rocks instead of absorbing their impact. This impact is what causes the chunking most people experience on this terrain. In addition, the softer rubber compounds do much better on wet and wintery roads. The only down fall is that because of the softer rubber, they will tend to wear more quickly. All-terrain tires made with softer tread compounds will often have a lower treadwear mileage number or no treadwear warranty at all. This is where you’ll have to decide if performance or longevity is more important to you.
- How Many Miles Can I Expect To Get Out Of An All-Terrain Tire?
An all-terrain’s tread life can depend on many factors. These factors include the tires tread compound, your regular tire rotations, checking your air pressure, suspension condition, outside temperatures, and even your driving habits. So, with all of these variables, it’s nearly impossible to predict how long a set of all-season tires will last on a given vehicle. In most cases, you can expect an all-terrain tire to last between 40-50 thousand miles so long as you stay on top of checking and maintaining proper tire pressure, rotating your tires regularly, and keeping your 4×4 vehicle aligned after an off-road excursion. Further, less aggressive driving will also lead to longer tire life. Hard cornering, heavy throttle starts, and heavy braking will only increase your all-terrain tire wear.
- Are All-Terrain Tires As Strong As Mud-Terrain Tires?
All-terrain tires have the same probability to encounter a sidewall puncture as a mud-terrain tire. In fact, the sidewall construction of many high-quality all-terrain tires mimic mud-terrain tires, which mimic off-road racing tires. So, if you want a piece of mind and you want the best sidewall durability available, then look for an all-terrain tire with three-ply sidewalls. These tend to have the necessary reinforcing required for extreme off-road use. Now, that being said, there are some all-terrain tires with proprietary two-ply sidewalls, and they have a tighter belt weave or unique materials that are more puncture resistant than other traditional two-ply sidewalls. Lastly, you’ll want to choose an all-terrain tire with tread lugs that run down the sidewall. Not only do these look cool, but these tread lugs provide additional protection from lateral punctures and can also serve as additional grabbing edges in various off-road conditions.
So now that you’ve passed your All-Terrain tires 101 course, we’d like to provide you the best all-terrain tires that Next Tires carries. These tires incorporate many of the attributes we explained above and will serve you with quality performance both on and off the road. We’ve also organized these all-terrain tires from mild to extreme so that you can choose what all-terrain tire suits your needs. If you would like help choosing the best all-terrain tire, then please feel free to call our customer service at 1-800-360-5459 and we’ll be glad to help fit you and your 4×4 vehicle with the best all-terrain option.
Next Tires – Where your next set of all-terrain tires will be your best set of tires!
